Coronavirus news update – Daily Covid cases fall by 7% in one week and 60 more die ahead of pubs and shops reopening
DAILY Covid cases have fallen by 7 percent in ONE week as deaths continue to fall – just days before Britsenjoy more freedoms.
The UK recorded another 60 coronavirus-related deaths and 3,150 cases in the latest 24-hour period – three days before Britain's pubs and shops are unlocked for the first time since January.
Meanwhile, transport secretary Grant Shapps has insisted foreign holidays will be able to resume "safely and sustainably" under new Government plans.
But travel firms have slammed measures to force holidaymakers returning from low-risk destinations to take an "expensive and unnecessary" type of coronavirus test.
Mr Shapps announced a "framework" for resuming overseas leisure travel which includes requiring all arrivals to take pre-departure and post-arrival coronavirus tests.
Post-arrival tests must be the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) type which cost around £120, he revealed.
This is despite pleas from the travel sector to allow travellers returning from countries on the "green" list under the new risk-based traffic light system to take lateral flow tests, which are cheaper and quicker.
Mr Shapps said: "The framework announced today will help allow us to reopen travel safely and sustainably, ensure we protect our hard-won achievements on the vaccine rollout and offer peace of mind to both passengers and industry as we begin to take trips abroad once again."
How the traffic light system will work:
* Green: Passengers will not need to quarantine on return, but must take a pre-departure test, as well as a PCR test on return to the UK
* Amber: Travellers will need to quarantine for 10 days, as well as taking a pre-departure test and two PCR tests
* Red: Passengers will have to pay for a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel, as well as a pre-departure test and two PCR tests
Read our coronavirus live blog below for the very latest news and updates on the pandemic…
- Joseph Gamp
RISE OF COVID-19 CASES IN CHILDREN ‘DUE TO INCREASE IN TESTING’
A slight rise of Covid-19 cases reported in children is due to an increase in testing and not the reopening of schools, a senior health expert has said.
Professor Philip Nolan, chairman of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said that data shows schools remain a low-risk environment.
Prof Nolan said that a public health investigation looked at incidence of coronavirus infection in children in recent weeks, to assess the impact of the phased return of schoolchildren to the classroom.
He said that schools are low risk because of the mitigation and protection measures put in place by teachers, principals, families, general practitioners and public health doctors.
Schools will reopen to all students on Monday, marking the final phase of the Government’s plan to have all pupils back in the classroom.
- Joseph Gamp
CABINET MEETS TO DISCUSS EXPANDING MANDATORY HOTEL QUARANTINE LIST
An unplanned Cabinet meeting is to be held on Friday night to discuss adding more countries to the State’s mandatory hotel quarantine list.
The USA, Germany, France and Italy are among the countries that could be included in the controversial plans.
The meeting has been organised at short notice, but it is understood it is set to get under way at around 8pm.
Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said if EU countries are added to the list, it will be “a temporary measure in the interest of public health”.
“All countries in the European Union at various points have taken travel bans and we haven’t done that, this is a measure that’s necessary for public health,” he told RTE Drivetime.
- Joseph Gamp
UEFA GIVES 4 EUROS HOST CITIES EXTENSION OVER FANS
The Euro 2020 host cities of Munich, Rome, Bilbao and Dublin have been given an extension until April 19 to provide details on allowing fans into games to remain part of the tournament.
The other eight cities across Europe have confirmed they will allow crowds at stadiums as coronavirus restrictions are eased.
The tournament is due to open in Rome on June 11 and finish with the final at Wembley on July 11.
But Munich, Rome, Bilbao and Dublin could be cut from the plans and the games awarded to other countries if UEFA cannot be sure fans will be permitted.
- Joseph Gamp
GRAPH: COVID VACCINATIONS IN THE UK TO DATE
- Joseph Gamp
HOW WOULD A FOREIGN TRAVEL TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM WORK?
A traffic light system categorising countries based on their Covid-19 risk levels forms part of potential plans for the return of foreign holidays.
The measure is among the recommendations of a report from the Government’s Global Travel Taskforce which outlines how international travel could resume from May 17.
- Joseph Gamp
BRITS TO RECEIVE ‘MORE NOTICE ON GREEN LIGHT COUNTRIES’ – MP
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that there should be a “bit more notice” on countries moving out of the “green” list.
“The green watchlist is designed to help people to get some forward guidance,” he told Sky News.
“Now, I can’t guarantee that that will always be absolutely 100 per cent available, we may have to make very quick decisions as we had to last year.
“If you have for example a variation in the coronavirus, you usually have at least a couple of weeks whilst you’re sequencing that to see whether it’s actually a variation of concern, where the mutation is more significant.
“And so that will give people a period of time to potentially know, so that’s the first thing, we should have a bit more notice this year.”
- Joseph Gamp
TURKEY POSTS RECORD DAILY NUMBER OF COVID CASES FOR TENTH DAY STRAIGHT
Turkey has posted record daily numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases for the past 10 days, including 55,941 new infections reported late Thursday.
Keen to minimize the pandemics repercussions for Turkeys ailing economy, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan eased infection-control measures in early March. The recent spike forced him to announce renewed restrictions, such as weekend lockdowns and the closure of cafes and restaurants during Ramadan, starting on April 13.
Turkish medical groups say the reopening in March was premature and that the new measures wont go far enough to curb the surge. They have called for a full lockdown during the holy Muslim month.
Every single day the number of cases is increasing. Every single day the number of death is increasing. The alarm bells are ringing for the intensive care units, Ismail Cinel, head of the Turkish Intensive Care Association, said.
The Health Ministry has said that around 75% of the recent infections in Turkey involve the more contagious variant first identified in Britain.
- Joseph Gamp
GRAPHIC: UK COVID-19 CASES AND DEATHS PER DAY
- Joseph Gamp
EU REVIEW J&J CLOT LINK (CONTINUED…)
But the EMA said its safety committee had now turned its attention to US pharma giant Johnson & Johnson, and "started a review of a safety signal to assess reports of thromboembolic events" in people who had received the jab.
"One case occurred in a clinical trial and three cases occurred during the vaccine rollout in the USA. One of them was fatal," it said.
The EMA has already approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for use, but its rollout across the 27-nation EU is not due to start until later this month.
Johnson & Johnson said there had been a "small number of very rare events" following vaccinations.
"At present, no clear causal relationship has been established between these rare events and the Janssen Covid-19 vaccine," it said in a statement, referring to the name of J&J's European subsidiary.
- Joseph Gamp
EU REVIEWS J&J CLOT LINK AS IT WIDENS ASTRAZENECA PROBE
The EU's drug regulator said Friday it is reviewing possible blood clot cases in people given the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus shot and probing a new condition linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Four cases, one fatal, of rare clots with low blood platelets were reported among those vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson shot, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said in a statement.
Five cases meanwhile were reported of people suffering a rare condition in which tiny blood vessels leak after getting the AstraZeneca jab, causing swelling and a drop in blood pressure.
"It is not yet clear whether there is a causal association" between the two vaccines and the cases, the Amsterdam-based EMA said in a statement.
The fresh questions over vaccine safety come after the watchdog said Wednesday it was listing blood clots as a very rare side effect of the shot by British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca.
- Joseph Gamp
RISE OF COVID-19 CASES IN CHILDREN 'DUE TO INCREASE IN TESTING'
A slight rise of Covid-19 cases reported in children is due to an increase in testing and not the reopening of schools, a senior health expert has said.
Professor Philip Nolan, chairman of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said that data shows schools remain a low-risk environment.
Prof Nolan said that a public health investigation looked at incidence of coronavirus infection in children in recent weeks, to assess the impact of the phased return of schoolchildren to the classroom.
He said that schools are low risk because of the mitigation and protection measures put in place by teachers, principals, families, general practitioners and public health doctors.
Schools will reopen to all students on Monday, marking the final phase of the Government's plan to have all pupils back in the classroom.
- Joseph Gamp
CABINET MEETS TO DISCUSS EXPANDING MANDATORY HOTEL QUARANTINE LIST
An unplanned Cabinet meeting is to be held on Friday night to discuss adding more countries to the State's mandatory hotel quarantine list.
The USA, Germany, France and Italy are among the countries that could be included in the controversial plans.
The meeting has been organised at short notice, but it is understood it is set to get under way at around 8pm.
Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne said if EU countries are added to the list, it will be "a temporary measure in the interest of public health".
"All countries in the European Union at various points have taken travel bans and we haven't done that, this is a measure that's necessary for public health," he told RTE Drivetime.
- Joseph Gamp
WATCH: BIDEN SAYS ALL AMERICAN ADULTS CAN GET COVID VACCINE STARTING APRIL 19
Biden says ALL American adults can get Covid vaccine starting April 19
- Joseph Gamp
EXPLAINED: WHAT IS THE TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM FOR FOREIGN TRAVEL?
The taskforce said that people arriving home from abroad would still be subject to rules such as home quarantine and strict testing, but these will be differently applied depending on the country visited:
Green destinations – Arrivals will have to take a pre-departure test and another PCR test on or before day two of their return to the UK. No quarantine or additional tests will be needed unless a positive result comes back.
Amber destinations – Arrivals must quarantine for 10 days, take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on day two and day eight after their return, with the option of a “test to release” on day five to end self-isolation early.
Red destinations – Travel to these countries will be restricted along the same lines as the Government’s current “red list”, meaning returning travellers must stay for 10 days in a quarantine hotel, as well as take a pre-departure test and a further PCR test on day two and day eight after returning.
- Joseph Gamp
HOW WOULD A FOREIGN TRAVEL TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM WORK?
A traffic light system categorising countries based on their Covid-19 risk levels forms part of potential plans for the return of foreign holidays.
The measure is among the recommendations of a report from the Government’s Global Travel Taskforce which outlines how international travel could resume from May 17.
- Joseph Gamp
BRITS TO RECEIVE ‘MORE NOTICE ON GREEN LIGHT COUNTRIES’ – MP
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that there should be a “bit more notice” on countries moving out of the “green” list.
“The green watchlist is designed to help people to get some forward guidance,” he told Sky News.
“Now, I can’t guarantee that that will always be absolutely 100 per cent available, we may have to make very quick decisions as we had to last year.
“If you have for example a variation in the coronavirus, you usually have at least a couple of weeks whilst you’re sequencing that to see whether it’s actually a variation of concern, where the mutation is more significant.
“And so that will give people a period of time to potentially know, so that’s the first thing, we should have a bit more notice this year.”
- Joseph Gamp
TRANSPORT BOSSES REFUSE TO REVEAL MORE ABOUT OVERSEAS HOLS
The Department for Transport (DfT) has refused to confirm whether foreign holidays will be permitted from May 17.
The DfT also insisted it was “too early to predict which countries will be on which list” under the traffic light system, with an “initial assessment” to be produced “by early may”.
People arriving from a “green” country will not be required to self-isolate, but those entering the UK from an “amber” destination must quarantine for 10 days. Existing rules for arrivals from “red” locations will continue, including the requirement to pay to enter a quarantine hotel.
These restrictions will be “formally reviewed” on June 28 to take account of “the domestic and international health picture and to see whether current measures could be rolled back”, the DfT added. Further reviews will take place no later than July 31 and October 1.
- Joseph Gamp
FRANCE: COVID INTENSIVE CARE NUMBERS RESUME UPWARD TREND
The number of people in intensive care units (ICU) with COVID-19 in France increased by 52 to 5,757 on Friday, a nearly five-month high, after dipping on Thursday, health ministry data showed.
The ministry also reported 301 new deaths in hospital, compared to 343 on Thursday.
Including deaths in retirement care homes, the seven-day moving average of COVID-19 deaths stood at 343 on Friday.
- Joseph Gamp
START TO THINK ABOUT BOOKING OVERSEAS HOLIDAYS, SAYS SHAPPS
People can "start to think" about booking overseas summer holidays, according to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
The Cabinet minister said it is the first time in "many months" he was not advising against booking foreign trips.
His comments came just five days after Downing Street published a document which urged people "not to book summer holidays abroad until the picture is clearer".
On Friday Mr Shapps announced a "framework" for the resumption of overseas leisure travel, which included requiring all arrivals to take pre-departure and post-arrival coronavirus tests.
Post-arrival tests must be the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) type which cost about £120, he said.
- Joseph Gamp
GRAPHIC: UK COVID-19 CASES AND DEATHS PER DAY
- Jon Rogers
ITALY RECORDS FURTHER 718 COVID DEATHS
Italy reported 718 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 487 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily tally of new infections rose to 18,938 from 17,221 the day before.
Italy has registered 113,579 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world. The country has reported 3.6 million cases to date.
Patients in hospital with Covid-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 28,146 on Friday, down from 28,851 a day earlier.
There were 192 new admissions to intensive care units, down from 259 on Thursday. The total number of intensive care patients fell to 3,603 a previous 3,663.
Some 362,973 tests for Covid-19 were carried out in the past day, compared with a previous 362,162, the health ministry said.
- Jon Rogers
'VACCINE GRABBING' SEEN AS FUELLING RISE OF FAKE COVID JABS IN AFRICA
The unequal global distribution of Covid-19 vaccines could spur the trade in fake doses in Africa – a hotspot for counterfeit medicines, analysts warned on Friday, citing the seizure of falsified vaccination shots in South Africa.
With poorer countries grappling to procure enough vaccine doses for their people, criminals will likely see an opportunity to profit, especially in Africa where imports account for more than 80% of pharmaceutical needs, they said.
"Already Africa has a problem with counterfeit medicines. The lack of local production and weak enforcement have for years allowed products to enter countries, such as fake medication for malaria in West Africa," said Richard Chelin, senior researcher at the ENACT programme at the Institute for Security Studies.
"Now with rich nations hoarding vaccines, this is likely to get worse. The consequence of this vaccine grabbing is that it creates opportunity for criminal networks. Everyone wants the vaccine and people will panic and buy whatever is out there."
Chelin said he had recently seen posters in the streets of Johannesburg offering vaccinations for 150 South African Rand ($10). The posters did not say what the vaccine was for.
- Jon Rogers
UEFA GIVES 4 EUROS HOST CITIES EXTENSION OVER FANS
The Euro 2020 host cities of Munich, Rome, Bilbao and Dublin have been given an extension until April 19 to provide details on allowing fans into games to remain part of the tournament.
The other eight cities across Europe have confirmed they will allow crowds at stadiums as coronavirus restrictions are eased.
The tournament is due to open in Rome on June 11 and finish with the final at Wembley on July 11.
But Munich, Rome, Bilbao and Dublin could be cut from the plans and the games awarded to other countries if UEFA cannot be sure fans will be permitted.
- Jon Rogers
RISE OF COVID-19 CASES IN CHILDREN 'DUE TO INCREASE IN TESTING'
A slight rise of Covid-19 cases reported in children is due to an increase in testing and not the reopening of schools, a senior health expert has said.
Professor Philip Nolan, chairman of the Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said that data shows schools remain a low-risk environment.
Prof Nolan said that a public health investigation looked at incidence of coronavirus infection in children in recent weeks, to assess the impact of the phased return of schoolchildren to the classroom.
He said that schools are low risk because of the mitigation and protection measures put in place by teachers, principals, families, general practitioners and public health doctors.
Schools will reopen to all students on Monday, marking the final phase of the Government's plan to have all pupils back in the classroom.
- Jon Rogers
MORE WOMEN THAN MEN AGED 20-39 ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL WITH COVID-19 – STUDY
There were more women than men in the 20-39 age group admitted to hospital with Covid-19, according to documents from scientists advising the Government.
In a set of papers published by Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on Friday, the experts said this increase in the number of women in hospital could be attributed to a lower threshold for admission when testing positive for Covid-19, as well as labour and birth and pregnancy-related complications.
The scientists, who included experts from the universities of Oxford, Edinburgh and Liverpool, also said maternal mortality rates in the UK have increased during the pandemic, although they stressed that Covid-19 may not be the sole reason.
They added that the mortality rates for mothers-to-be for March 2020-February 2021 may be at least 20% higher than in previous recent years (12 per 100,000 maternities compared to 10 per 100,000).
These include indirect deaths, due to women delaying going to the hospital or concealing pregnancy.
Source: Read Full Article